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Cuisine Nissarde – when in Nice, eat like the Niçois

Food, glorious food.

Now I live in France, my diet has changed. I eat more bread and cheese, but I also cook with a huge variety of vegetables including aubergine and artichokes that I never used back in my home country, and I love the summer fruits here that I buy at the market.

seasonal produce at French markets

Many people wonder how French people stay so slim eating breads, cheeses, pastries and sweet treats but it has a lot to do with making the most of seasonal produce and portion size.

Locally, a label has been created ‘Cuisine Nissarde’ to respect the authenticity of the cuisine of Nice, and it is granted to restaurants that feature in their menu three traditional recipes selected and developed by a technical committee including professional chefs and Tourism representatives.

Some traditional Niçoise dishes are:

Farcis: tomatoes, round courgettes, onions, aubergines, bell peppers, each with their own stuffing

Fleurs de courgettes: Fritters that are eaten warm with tomato sauce

La tourte de blettes: A pie made with Swiss chard (grown on the hills of Nice) and pine nuts

Pan-bagnat: A small round bun (white bread) split in two and rubbed with garlic then filled with lettuce, tomato, spring onion, celery, purple artichoke hearts, radishes, tuna in oil, anchovy fillets and seasoning

Pissaladière: An onion tart with black olives and anchovy fillets

Porquetta: Stuffed suckling pig

Ratatouille: One of my favourites, delicious served on crusty bread. Made with tomatoes, courgettes, onions, garlic, bell peppers and aubergine sautéed individually then simmered together

Salade niçoise: Perhaps the most well-known ‘dish’ of Nice, there are many variations but generally it contains bell pepper, tomato, onion, hard-boiled egg, tuna, black olives and often green beans, potatoes and artichokes

salade niçoise (image: laroque-provence)

Socca: A chickpea flour crepe made with olive oil. My recommendation for trying socca in Nice is Chez Rene Socca.

Here are the first Nice restaurants that have been granted the ‘Cuisine Nissarde’ label: